The present invention relates to carpet seaming and pertains particularly to improved apparatus and methods for seaming carpets.
In recent years, development in carpet installation implements and methods have not progressed as rapidly as developments in carpet materials and design.
When jute materials and shag carpet designs dominated the marketplace minimum installation skills were required. Carpet textures and designs permitted crude installation implements and a multitude of installation errors with, however, satisfactory installation results.
Shag carpet domination of the marketplace ended approximately six (6) to eight (8) years ago. The carpet industry has made a dramatic shift away from forgiving shag carpet designs to the more precise stitch patterns of Saxony and velour velvet designs. Jute is no longer the industry's predominate material for carpet and backing materials, industry economics and world trade policies have changed this. Developments such as "Action Back", "Typar", "Unitary Back" and others, are examples of these changes. The polyethylene fibers in the new backing materials are very sensitive to any excess heat.
Today's fine designs and synthetic materials are anything but forgiving to the installer. The installer needs considerable skill in carpet seaming to provide results that are satisfactory to the consumer.
Excessive heat from the installers hot iron passes through the backing material and creates a distortion on the carpet surface in the form of a shadow effect or peaked seam.
It is therefore desirable that improvements be available in the methods and apparatus for seaming carpet.